Dry cell.



C. F. BURGESS.

DRY CELL.

APPLICATION FILED: MAR. 26. |917.

Patented Aug. 27, 1918.

VCHARLES F. BUIGEss, oF MADISON, lwIsCoNsIN, AssIGNoR, BY' MESNE ASSIGNMENTS', lTo BURGsss BATTERY COMPANY, or MADISON-WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION or WISCONSIN'.

T 0 all 'wlhom z't may concern;

- Be itknown that I, CHARLES Boneless,

a citizen of' the United Statesresiding at f Madison, inthe county of Dane and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dry Cells; and I do.

-zinc into the form of a tube and then solder the overlapped edges to forma cylinder. A

` disk ot zlnc is then cut to t One end 0f the cylinder and is soldered in place to close that 'end and form a liquid-tight Container. This operation of soldering in the bottom is expensive and troublesome, and in the rush of commercial production the soldering is not always accurately done, 'and leakage may developv at the joint even after the cell has been completely made up. A soldered joint at this part of the cell has other disadvantages, as will be readily appreciated by electrochemists.

It is an object of the presentnvention to obv'iate the expense and disavantages of a Ace soldered bottom'by dispensing Withthe need-v for. soldering.

It 'is a further object of the invention to vprovide a cell in which a single/,zinc electrode c'operates with'a plurality of negative electrodes which, if desired, can be connected in multiple.

It is a further'object of the invention to so construct the cell as to obtain a rugged structure free from many of the disadvantages of dry 4cells as heretofore generallyy 'constructed, and characterized by certain novel features contributing toward ready assembly of the cells. into batteries and ready and reliable connection with electrical circuits on which they are to be used.

Other obJects and advantagesv are made clear by the following detailed description, or will be recognized by those skilled in the art as inherent in the construction disclosed.

Specification of Letters Patent.

through the open lower end.

DRY CELL,

In the construction illustrated by the Patented Aug. 27, 1918.

Application tiled March 26, 1917. Serial No. 157,315.

drawingthe zinc or positive electrode l is l in the form of a tube, preferably Cylindrical, and may have the usuallongitudinal soldered seam, not shown. It does not, however, have a soldered bottom. This zinc tube serves as a container for the other activeelements of the cell. To assemble those elements within the zinc container, l place the container' on end and insert near its middle a partition 2 which may be ot' tar paper crowded into place from above and suitably supported temporarily, as by a mandrel introduced l into the container I then proceed to lill the upper half of the tubil much as if the tar paper disk were thc usual soldered bottom of the zinc electrodo. In the embodiment illustrated, the filling abort the tar paper disk 2 comprises a carbon rod 3 about which is packed a drpolariziugl luixture 4 of manganese dioxid or. equivalent depolarizer, and carbon or graphite. With this mixture lis associatedthc usual amount of moisture and salts, and the mixture ma)v be enveloped in a bibulous envelop 5 o'f cheese cloth or the like, according to usual practice. formed is a body'of electrolyte 6 which may be of gelatinous character, according to usual practice.

- Above` he electrolytic paste is an air s acc 7 filled With sawdust or the like, and a ove About the negative electrode so 1 oud complete cell for which the zinc conrainer likewise serves as one electrode.

After the cells have thus been completely L. built up within the tubular zinc container,

it is not vital whether tar paper disk 2 docs or doesv not Yconstitute a fluid-tight barrier between the elements on its opposite sides, for its primary function is that of serving as a temporary bottom for one-half of the Zinc container until the container can be turned end for end and filled through the other end. Vith an electrolyte of sufiicient stiffness it is possible to dispense entirely with the use of the tar paper disk by providing a temporary barrier for one-half the container until that half has been filled, and then withdrawing the'barriervbefore the second half is filled. rll`hese are manufacturing expedicnts which readily suggest themselves and need not be set forth here at length.

lVith a dry cell constructed as above described, electrical connections may be established with the zinc container and with the carbon rods in usual manner, but l now prefer to utilize with'such a cell a special wrapping and speci/al adjuncts, as hereinafter described more at length. Y

About the dry cell assembled as above describedv l wrap one or '-more layers 10' of `paper or equivalent insulatingmateriah The wrapping is long' enoigh to extend beyond the ends of the zinccontainer, and there fold down against thepitch seal, Vas

' illustrated in the drawing: Over each end i A, set forth at'length in said patent. Through Gili of the wrapped dry Celli -thenslip a metal cap 11",'.according to the practice set forth at length in lU. S.' Letters Patent No.

1,188,408, vissued in my name on `June 27, 1916. A These caps may beof brass or tinned irn and preferably fit1-tightly over the f paper wrapping and so hold the wrapping in place while reinforcing the pitch seal, as

a perforation at the center of each cap a drop of solder 12 may be introduced to establish electrical connection between the cap and the-usual brass cap 9 with which each carbon rod 3 is provided.

inasmuch as the two caps 11 at the respective ends of the dry cell are of the same. polarity, it is expedient to connect' them together as by abrass strip `1.2i lying outside of paper wrapping 1Q, and having its ends held under caps l1. A drop of solder he applied 1li to insure perneri/olie increase the security of anchoragel of end caps 11. Electrical connection can then be made with either end cap 11 or with strip 13 and the two halvesl of the cell will operate in multiple. Electrical connection with the zinc can be obtained by perforat' ing paper wrapping 10 and soldering on a vbrass strip 15,'"as indicated particularly in` Fie. 2.

dbd] ith the paper wrapping folded inward over the edges ofthe zinc container 1, the

,manency of the electrical connection and to" end caps 11 are-r adequately insulated from the zinc though, if desired,- a tar paper washer 16 may lline the bottom of each cap to -assist in more edective insulation around the somewhat sharp edge of the zinc tube. inasmuch as the attachment of terminalv 15 may be the last operation carried out in the factory, and inasmuch as all otherfexposed metal parts are of thesame polarity, there is little danger of short-circuiting the cells .among themselves during factory manipula'- proofed after the article has been ,com-fA pletely built up asabove described, as, for instance, by dipping the article into melted paraffin. rlhis not only makes the entire paper wrapping waterproof but also gives to the exposed metal parts a thin coating advantageous in preventing tarnishing. The waterproofed paper wrappingprevents leakage of they cell contents in case the'z-inc should become corroded afternormaluse,

icc

and also prevents evaporation and drying out of the cell 1n case Ithe zlnc has become perforated. it isalso a protection to metal or other casings or boxes in which such 'c ,ells :mayv be storedormay'be used.l Dry cellsv constructed as 'above tion work, and such as the much smaller or novelty sizes so'commonly used in battery @hand lamps, gas lighters, and` the like.

When using cells of the present inventionin advantage of the multiple character ofthe cell and the somewhat unusualconst'ruction of `the external 'conductors or. terminals'. l claim:

`1. A dry cell wise alined electrodes forming the negative element of the cell, and a continuous container surrounding those `electrodes and described may be of any of the sizes andi capacities "now common, such, for instance, as the six vinch cells often used for telephone 4vand ignihaving a plurality of endiis l iat forming the positive element of the cell; sub-4 i stantially as described.

Larmes 2. A dry cell having a plurality of end- Wise alined and separated electrodes forming the negative element of the cell, and a continuous container surrounding said electrodes and forming the positive element of the cell; substantially as described.

3. A dry cell having a' container serving as an electrode, and a pair of electrodes of opposite polarity thereto cooperating therewith a nd accessible respectively through opposite ends of said container.

at. A dry cell having an open-ended container serving as the ositive element of the cell, and a pair of en Wise alined electrodes forming the negative element of the cell and being accessible through the respective ends of the container.

5. A dry cell having a container serving as an electrode, and a pair of electrodes of opposite polarity thereto cooperating therewith and accessible respectively through opposite ends of-said container, and meansV connecting said pair of electrodes in'multiple.

6. A dry cell having an open-ended container serving as an electrode 0f one polarity, a cross partition intermediate the ends of said container, and means cooperative With said container to form a complete Cell on each side of said partition.

7. A dry cell comprising a Zinc tube, a cross partition intermediate the ends thereof, and' means cooperating with said zinc tube to forni a complete dry cell on each side of said partit-ion.

8. In a dry cell, the combination of a zinc container open at its ends and carbons sealed into the two ends of said container.

9. In a dry cell, the oombiration of a zinc tube open at its ends and forming the posi- .i tive element of the cell, a cross partition intermediate the ends of said tube, and a plurality of electrodes forming the negative element of the cclland being accessible at opposite ends of the tube.

10. Inl a' dry cell, the combination of a zinc tube open at its ends and forming the positive element of the cell, a plurality of electrodes forming the negative element of the cell, caps electrically connected to the respective electrodes and positioned over the ends of the cell, and an insulating Wrapping covering the container and insulating the caps therefrom.

lL'Av dry cell having zinc container serving as the Ositive element ofthe cell, a plurality of e ectrodes forming the negative element of the cell and being accessible at either end of said zinc container, and 'a metal cap slipped over each end of said zinc container and connected to the electrode at that end.

12. A dry cell comprising a zinc tube, and means coperatino with said t'ubel to form a complete electrdlytic cell in each longitudinal half thereof, substantially as described.

13. A dry cell coinprisinga zinc tube, means coperating with said tube to form a complete dry cell in each half thereof, an insulating covering for said tube, and caps for the ends of said tube and electrically connected to one another.

14. A dry cell comprising in Combination a zinc tube open at both ends, a carbon sealed into each of said ends, and means electrically connecting said carbons together to operate in multiple, substantially as described.

15; A dry cell having a zinc element, metal' caps slipped over the respective ends thereof and permanently insulated from the lzinc, and a carbon element secured to each cap, substantially as described.

16. The combination 0f a tubular zinc electrode, a paper Wrapping about said electrode, said Wrapping overlapping the edges of thel zinc, metal caps covering both ends of the cell and tightly gripping said Wrappin and a pair 0f car on elements within sai tubular zinc electrode and each Isolderedto one of said caps.

In witness whereof I aiix m signature'.

CHARLES F. URGESS. 

